Times Change
by Silla Uchiha
Summary: Ninja. strong, loyal, elite, badass, and... extinct? Naruto Uzumaki has spent the last 16 years growing up in a peaceful world after the bloody Shinobi Wars of his past. And just when everyone thinks the worst is over, disaster strikes, and Konoha is in desperate need of battle strength. Cue Ninja revival. AU (Pairings inside) The time for lies is over. UPDATES EVERY SINGLE WEEK!
1. Punching Bag

Times Change

By: Silla Uchiha

Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto** because if I did I would be somewhere counting my cash and gloating over my awesomeness

* * *

Intro

A shining blue bird soared over the tall stone mountains of Konohagakure, sun reflecting off of the rugged Hokage faces. The village in Japan was well-known and for a good reason. It was the home of the fabled Ninja, most powerful men and women the world had ever seen.

After the wars, there was peace for many years and little by little people began to practice the ninja arts less and less until it was nearly non-existent. No one needed the battle strength anymore. Until now.

Strange things. Murders. Disappearances. Attacks.

The Hokage knew he had to take action. So he announced that they were opening a Hardcore Training academy that taught not only the basics, but also additional classes suited to the individual's strengths. And little by little, they trickled in. Teens Between the ages of 14 and 18. They all had their own reasons for wanting power. The recent events floating around that everyone keeps trying to pretend they didn't hear are real, and these kids are their final hope.

* * *

Chapter 1

Punching Bag

HIYAA! A lightning fast punch whipped out from out of nowhere and hit the punching bag with a loud, -BANG!- The sound reverberated throughout the room and suddenly the chain holding the punching bag broke, sending its heavy mass skidding to a halt, hitting the wall on the other side of the bare room. A teen boy drew his fist back and swept his foot around to land gracefully on the wooden floor. He straightened up and ran his fingers through his spiked blonde hair, wiping away the sweat which was now running off his forehead and dripping off his sculpted jawline. He turned around and stared at the broken chain swinging from the ceiling, bright blue eyes sparkling with pride and determination.

"I broke it." he thought, a big grin forming on his face, "I ripped it right off its hinges!" He pumped his fist in the air and yelled, "Believe It!" at the top of his lungs.

"NARUTO!" The blonde boy whipped around and stared at the figure standing in the doorway. It was a young man with tanned skin and a faint scar tracing over the bridge of his nose. He looked sternly at the boy and said, "Naruto, was that loud crash I heard you're doing?". Naruto grinned at the man, "That was me alright, just look at that chain hanging there all torn up!".

He flexed his muscles, putting even more strain on the cotton fabric of his sweat-soaked tank top. "You'll have to get me another punching bag Iruka-Sensei, Believe It!". Iruka shook his head in a tired way. 'Well I guess that's deserved", he said, looking at Naruto with pride in his dark brown eyes, "You have put in an awful lot of work to finally reach this level of strength".

"Well, what did you expect Sensei?" The blonde said, grinning even bigger than before, "Do think I'm gonna let just any loser get ahead of me before I get into that new training school?" Iruka's eyes widened in surprise and he felt a twinge of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Why had he put the stupid idea in Naruto's mind, that he could possibly get accepted into the elite new school? Did Naruto even know how impossible the entrance exam was to pass? These were goddamn _ninjas_ , most people still think they're a myth! "Unfortunately" he thought, "Once Naruto's got an idea in his mind, it's rare to succeed in breaking him out of his little dome of stubbornness."

Seeing the unbelieving look on Iruka's face Naruto suddenly became serious, something very unlike him. He started his teacher right in the eye and said, "Iruka-Sensei, I _will_ pass the entrance exam".

He walked over and put his hand on Iruka's shoulder, "Soon there won't be anyone, anywhere who will be able to best me and I can finally prove to the world just how awesome I really am". Their gaze lingered for a few seconds and then Naruto laughed and said, "Don't worry about me Sensei, I'm older now and I'm gonna make all of my dreams come true." Iruka stared, shocked. Naruto gave his favorite teacher one last grin and walked out of the room and down the stairs. "Oh and Sensei!", Naruto said, calling out from the lower floor, "You still owe me a new punching bag! Don't forget now!" And with that, he left the Dojo, ran down the street and out of Iruka's vision.

* * *

Naruto ran up to the five-story Japanese style apartment where he lived and walked into the lobby. Pressing the buttons on the elevator door he leaned onto the cold metal bars and closed his eyes as the floor began to rise, making it's way to the third floor.

"Iruka-Sensei looked really unconvinced" his thoughts making him feel slightly discouraged, "What if I really don't pass the entrance exam?" But then, like always, there was that little voice in the back of his head that said "No! Don't you dare give up! Remember who you are!". A determined smile started to form on his face. "That's right," he said aloud, "I'm the one and only Naruto Uzumaki! Believe It!"

The elevator doors opened and he stepped out and into the hallway, a fresh wave of courage running through his energetic, youthful body. He was never gonna any talented jerk win, people might have hated him when he was a scrawny little child, orphaned and cursed. But now…. He was stronger than ever before. Five years of training hadn't only made him as formidable as any, but it had also given him a father-like figure in the form of Iruka. Because Naruto would never admit, being an orphan, and all those years of loneliness had taken their toll and he'd had his share of tears and sorrow. Iruka had come and after all these years, they became inseparable, going out for Ramen together, laughing, and chatting like they knew each other for decades. The desire to prove himself to Iruka made him even stronger than he already was, and Lord knows he already had a hell of a lot of stamina.

No, Naruto Uzumaki was not going to be easy to defeat.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and shuffled through the papers that littered his desk. The past month had been particularly stressful for him, all of the blueprints, choosing suitable teachers, and preparing courses and activities for the new training academy had really worn him out. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Seeing as there were over a thousand students trying to enroll, and more arriving daily, Hiruzen saw no other way out but to put forth a test that would separate the serious from the slackers. He folded his hands and frowned, slackers would not be tolerated.

* * *

Naruto yawned and turned over in his bed, one hand pounding his bedside table trying to make contact with that whack-ass alarm clock that always seemed to start beeping when he had just begun to fall asleep. Damn, that thing was annoying. His fist finally made contact with the tiny electronic annoyance and it went flying across the room and landed on the carpeted floor with a small -ping-. Naruto turned over in his bed and sighed with content, "At least it stopped ringing" he thought drowsily. Just as he was drifting off again, the broken annoyance gave one final static -bleep- and went silent. The Uzumaki leaped up from his bed, truly pissed off. He jumped down and grabbed the stupid electronic. Just as he was about to pound the poor clock into atoms, his cell phone rang. The blonde glared down at the clock, "This isn't over, do you hear me?". He dropped it to the floor and slid over to the bedside table to answer his call.

"Hello?"

"Naruto, it's unlike you to be awake at this time of the day", came the collected voice of Iruka.

"Oh, well that's a long story", The blonde replied, cracking his knuckles, "but anyways what up?"

"Oh, I just called to remind you that you need to be in the town square at ten o'clock sharp, the exam doesn't accept late-comers" he answered, remembering his favorite student's short attention span. He was bound to get distracted.

"Aw don't sweat it, the king needs to be on time to meet his new loyal subjects." Naruto replied. He heard laughter on the other end.

"Alright", the man chuckled, "I guess then I've got nothing else to say now, I wish you the best of luck Naruto."

"Thanks, Sensei"

"Goodbye and don't get into trouble"

"Believe It!"

Naruto put down the phone and walked into his closet. He took out a black t-shirt with the Uzumaki clan symbol, a red, teardrop-shaped swirl and put it on along with a pair of khaki shorts. He splashed water on his face and tried to calm his rising nerves, he ran his hand through his blonde locks and wondered absentmindedly if he looked neat enough. After he had finished washing his face and hastily running a brush through his hair he grabbed his backpack and made his way to the door. He took one last glance at his untidy bedroom before shutting the door completely and running towards the elevator.

* * *

Running down the streets at top speed, Naruto was frantic. Eating breakfast at Ichiraku's had taken more time than he expected and now he was running late for the opening of the school. He ran even faster, past food stalls and apartments. "I'm gonna make it!" he thought, putting on another burst of speed. He could just begin to see a large, enclosed building surrounded on three sides by dense forest. There were silver gates surrounding the school with an opening in the front and back of the building. The place was surrounded by a huge crowd of people.

Panting, the blonde prepared to run the last spurt of his long marathon to the academy. "Finally", he thought, "The finish line". Just as he was about to slide into the crowd of people like he'd been there the whole time, he collided with something big and hard. Papers scattered everywhere and he and another figure went sprawling on the rough gravel.

"What the hell?" Naruto cursed, tasting blood in his mouth, he must've bitten his tongue. He looked to his right and observed the boy he'd bumped into. He looked about Naruto's age, cold dark onyx eyes that glared scornfully at him, fair skin, a mouth that seemed permanently stuck somewhere in frown town, black hair that framed the sides of his face and extended into multiple spikes in the back of his head.

"Dude", the blonde thought, his mind as usual, unable to focus, "His friggin hair looks like a chicken's butt!". Unable to control himself, Naruto burst out laughing and clutched his stomach. The black haired boy looked at him with pure disgust. "I hope for your sake whatever's making your day so fantastic, doesn't concern me…... _Loser_ , he added, as an afterthought. Naruto immediately stopped laughing, a gleam of malice flashing within his cerulean orbs. "What did you say?!". Black eyes looked boredly into the blue ones, "I said you're a _LOSER_ ". The blonde growled in annoyance and clenched his fists angrily. "Say that one more time, _pretty boy_." A blood red tinge seemed to swirl within the stony depths of the other boy's eye, but in a millisecond, it was gone and he replied, "If you were worth it, I would say that we could take this outside, but… you know…. you aren't worth it." The raven haired teen turned his lips up in an egotistical smirk and began to walk away. Naruto's cheeks burned hot with rage, this guy was really starting to tick him off.

"I don't know where you get your delusions, Chicken butt, but you must be senile if you think that you're above besting me!" "The other boy whipped around and death-glared him. "What the _hell_ did you just call me?" Naruto glared right back at him, indifferent to the eye-daggers. "Chicken Butt" he replied, "Cause your hair looks like a chicken's rear end". The other boy's eyes really did turn red this time, for a whole 3 seconds actually. "I'll have you know that it comes naturally you… you… insignificant _loser_ …" he spat out vehemently. Naruto laughed humorlessly. "Guess the same goes for your sucky emo attitude!"

The boys glared at each other, trying to bore holes through each other's bodies with nothing but their eyes. Just as they were about to jump at each other, a little white dog ran into the fray, jumping into Naruto's backpack searching for something. 'HEY!" the blonde yelled, "Someone get that mangy mutt away from my stuff!". "The little dog stuck his head out and barked at him before disappearing in the large crowd. Naruto whipped around to face the strange boy but he was nowhere to be seen. It was like he'd vanished into thin air. The blonde cursed loudly, ignoring the dirty looks he got from the surrounding adults. "Whyyy?" He thought frustratedly. This was not a good way to begin his quest to become Hokage.

"Good Morning everybody!" a voice came blasting over the crowd. Hiruzen Sarutobi was standing on top of the podium arms raised towards the crowd. The crowd cheered loudly, most of them secretly wondering if this old geezer could train legendary ninja, let alone walk up the stairs. After raising his hands for attention the large group fell silent. "Welcome everyone! To the grand opening of the Konoha Training academy, thank you all for coming! The crowd cheered even louder than before. The Hokage cleared his throat before continuing. "Ahem, as you all know, with the vast amount of students entering the school, the board has decided that an entrance exam is in order. Because of the amount of students here to take the exam we are going to split you up into four groups. Each group will be taking the exam in a different area." He cleared his throat and continued, "One group will go with Kakashi Hatake, one group with Might Guy, one group with Asuma Sarutobi, and one group with Kurenai Yuhi. When I read your name you are to go to your team leader and wait for further instructions. Is this clear? His statement was met with a simultaneous "YES". Smiling he continued saying, "Alright then! Let's begin.

Akimichi Choji! Hitamashi Daya! Nara Shikamaru! Gomaru Irani! Yamanaka Ino!" The Hokage continued yelling names until Naruto thought he would die from the exhaustion of trying to memorize all of them as they were called out. When he finally stopped he said, "You who have just been called! You are under the command of Asuma Sarutobi and you will take your exam in the sparring fields! Go now!" The group of people trailed behind the man known as Asuma and disappeared out of sight behind the large building.

Not wasting a single moment the hokage said, Hyuuga, Hinata! Montomri, Aya! Inuzuka, Kiba! Raiga Kintaro! Aburame Shino! The hokage's voice droned on and when it finally ended he continued by saying, "You who have been mentioned! You are under the command of Kurenai Yuhi and you will be taking your exam is the training rooms! Go now!" The second group of students filed out and only half of the original crowd remained standing in front of the gates.

The old man began to yell out the names of the third group of people and Naruto strained to hear in case his name was called. He hoped they hadn't overlooked his careful registration. Haruno Sakura! Yoshimaru Akai! Uchiha Sasuke! Lynari Nya! Uzumaki Naruto!

Naruto, upon hearing his name jumped up and skidded over to the spot where the third group was gathering. He waited until the hokage had finished calling out names, feeling giddy and lightheaded as he contemplated the horrors that the exam might hold. "A mental test perhaps? An illusion? One that confuses your brain and leaves you woozy? Or maybe-" 'ALRIGHT!" The hokage's voice boomed, disturbing his thoughts. "You who have been mentioned! You are under the command of Kakashi Hatake and you will be taking your exam in the forest grounds! Go now!

Naruto's group walked over to the man known as Kakashi Hatake. He was a very young man but his messy hair was a shocking shade of silver. His entire face with the exception of his right eye was covered by a navy blue mask. The one eye that could be seen was looking boredly at the group he was assigned to, as if unimpressed.

"Well, I guess this is all of you" he sighed, stating the obvious. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Kakashi Hatake, nice to meet you all." His eye crinkled in what appeared to be a smile. "Now, it may be a good idea to warn you all before we proceed." Naruto frowned. Another boy piped up, "Warn us? About what? This is just a little exam right?" Kakashi smiled under his mask at the boy's confusion and continued, "In case you haven't noticed, the forest we are practicing in is widely known as the forest of death." Gasps issued from the crowd of students, and Kakashi either didn't notice or he purposely ignored their shock. "Now raise your hand if you read the fine print on your entrance paperwork." Only three students raised their hands and Naruto gulped. Kakashi chuckled darkly, "Now that is your first deadly mistake."

* * *

End of chapter 1! Yay! So what did you think? Was it intriguing? I hope sooo xD There will be plenty more chapters soon if u guys like so don't worry too much! Xoxo

Chapter 2 Coming Friday! Reviews make me update faster!

\- Silla


	2. Weakling

Author Input:

Hey guys! Here's the MEGA SUPER HUGE second chapter for u x333.

So this chapter introduces the real Team 7 Kick-ass. (And there's Kakashi! #Bestteacherever)

Sakura is badass.

Have Fun! X333

Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto**

* * *

Chapter 2

Weakling

"Now" Kakashi motioned for them to follow him, "You guys are sadly mistaken if you think this is a small little written exam that you can study for. Those of you who fully read your entrance paperwork know for a fact that there are some risks involved." He paused, "But enough of me comforting you, let's begin."

"You will be in this forest for a few days, so be sure to survive.

There are three parts to this test", he held up a gloved finger, "Number one, the Intelligence aspect." He held up a second finger, "Number two is the Physical aspect, and then... finally….." he stated, smiling. "Number three, the _fear_ aspect"

Whispers broke out in the crowd.

 _Fear_.

"Unfortunately as your proctor I am only allowed to give you the limited information that the hokage has instructed me to divulge. You will most likely be confused by it, however try and be patient, i'm sure it'll make sense later. He sighed and ran a hand through his unruly spikes. "Here are your instructions, listen carefully.

Firstly you will be separated into groups of three according to your varying abilities. Then you will enter the forest and the exam will begin.

"Your team is given a sealed scroll. This scroll contains a hidden message. Only those with intellect enough can break through the illusion and attain truth. I recommend not opening it until you are well into the forest."

"Secondly, let me warn you that these woods are heavily fortified with various Jutsu many of which will greatly test your physical condition."

"And finally the last part of the test…. Well I think i'll leave that up to your imaginations."

More than one person was paralyzed with terror at this point. An older-looking girl with violet eyes squeaked, "So... does this mean we could die?" Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "It's not likely, but I can't guarantee that you won't be pretty shaken up."

"Shaken up?!" Someone yelled, "Who do you think we are? Yea, we're just kids!" The crowd collapsed into frantic whispering and shouts, but the disguised individual himself seemed rather…. _bored_ by the whole thing, closing his eyes and leaning up against a tree trunk.

"Hey!" A kid yelled at him, "Aren't you gonna say something worthwhile? Some proctor you are!" Kakashi flashed a stern look at the rioting crowd and the teen who dared question him. He straightened up and faced the group. "Enough!" the group hushed, "I have already made myself clear that this is all the information I am allowed to give you. Anyone who feels as if they have made the wrong decision can leave the area now."

No one moved, and the man continued, "Now. I want complete silence as I hand out these number cards. When you get your number you will quietly walk to the entrance with that number marked on it. Do I make myself clear?" There were a few mumbled yea's and grunts. Paying no mind, Kakashi began to proceed with the cards.

Throughout this whole affair Naruto had been frozen in place. Thoughts swirling through his head and making his heart beat faster. Three steps? Intellectual scroll? And what the hell with the sadistic smile when he mentioned the final trial?! He glanced at Kakashi and numbly held out his hand to accept his number card.

number seven was written in bold black ink. Seven. He scanned the entrances and found the gate with a number seven marked on it, already occupied by another teen guy. Not just any teen guy…. Spikes in the back, arrogant smirk, careless posture. There was no mistaking it.

"Hey Jerk!" The blonde ran over and screeched to a halt directly in front the boy. "Hey! You're the guy from earlier!" The other boy slowly opened his eyes and sneered when he saw who it was. He closed his eyes again, indifferent to the world. Naruto screamed internally. First he was late, and _then_ he crashes into someone, and _then_ he gets a psycho proctor with a mask and friggin _silver_ hair, and _then_ as if that wasn't enough he has to take the scary test with the most arrogant, emo, stuckup, assho- "Hi, um sorry i'm a bit late. Hope it wasn't too much of a hold up." The blonde's thoughts were interrupted by a the voice of someone behind him. He whipped around and stared at the third member of their team. A girl, the cutest girl Naruto had ever seen. She was a petite little thing, large emerald green eyes perched above a tiny nose, a small face, framed with soft hair that was a most peculiar shade of pink. Absentmindedly he recalled thinking his proctor's hair color was weird.

The new girl walked over and held out her card. "This is the seventh entrance right?" Naruto nodded at lost for words. Someone with her build and temperament? At a ninja academy? He squashed his bubbling thoughts and extended his hand. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the soon to be hokage and currently, single." He winked at her. The girl laughed, a high, sweet sound. She shook his outstretched hand and replied, "Sakura, my name is Sakura Haruno."

Sakura. Cherry Blossom. The name suited her.

She stared at the blonde, blushing a bit. Or, at least, that's what he thought, until he saw her gaze resting not on him, but on the dark bastard behind him. ***Intense eye roll*** Said bastard glanced at the girl and back at Naruto. Then he smirked, straightening up and walking over to the two of them.

Standing next to Sakura, he was a daunting figure. Towering over her, a whole foot taller. Contrasting her appearance like night to day.

Naruto glared, "Got something to say Chicken-Butt?" The other boy casually ignored him and glared at the small girl instead.

"I found it hard to believe I was paired with a brainless idiot, but this is even worse."

The blonde interrupted him angrily, "You arrogant jerk! Lay off her! The dark teen gave him an icy glare. "I don't want _weaklings_ on my team. Just see to it that both of you stay out of my way, I don't have time to meddle with you."

Sakura paled, Naruto looked at her nervously, this bastard might make her start crying or something!

"Don't underestimate me." A hardened voice.

Both boys stared at her. But she was staring across at the horizon. Did she even say it? Naruto couldn't give much thought to the statement because at that moment there was a loud ***clang*** behind him. The silver gates were opening.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was the cold. Heavy and still. Seeping from the forest with deadly intent. Kakashi came over to gate seven and handed Naruto the detailed scroll that, if he recalled properly, was supposedly to test their intellect. The silver-haired man motioned them to proceed through the gates. The blonde thought he saw his gaze linger on their team a little longer than the other squads, but, then again he was so nervous his mind could have been playing tricks on him.

When their proctor had moved onto team eight, Naruto glanced at the the others and stepped through the silver gates.

And then everything went black.

* * *

"W-What happened?!" Naruto whipped around in the dark, empty, blindness. "Sakura! Bastard! Where are you guys!?" Suddenly he felt something bump into him.

"AHHH! Who's there! Show yourself!"

" _Shut up_ loser, it's me."

"Bastard! Where's Sakura?"

" She's Next to me."

"Ouch that's my foot!"

"What should we do?"

"You could _shut up."_

"Hey guys", Sakura's soft voice echoed in the empty space, "Try closing your eyes to find the doorway."

"And what good would that do, pray tell?"

"Yea Sakura, were kinda already blind enough…"

"No silly, ninja use combined physical and spiritual energy to sense their surroundings right?"

"It's called Catra!"

"It's called _Chakra_ idiot."

"Why you little $*#%-!

"Shhh Naruto, but yes, Chakra is the key. Maybe if we tried focusing our attention on the inside instead of the outside, we would have a better chance of finding a way out. But it's just a suggestion of course."

"Wowwwww, not only are you super cute, you're really smart too Sakura-chan 3"

"Shut up and concentrate dobe."

"Quiet both of you, concentrate on your inner energy, search for an abnormality in the flow..."

Naruto closed his eyes and and calmed his thoughts. He imagined flowing cerulean energy coursing through his body, then… a room…. empty but…. In the far corner…..a… a...

"A doorway! Guys I see the exit!"

"Hn."

"Awesome job Naruto! Now let's try walking over to where we sense an opening."

The three teens jogged over to what now appeared to be a small sliver of light, growing bigger by the minute. Naruto squinted in the dark at the rectangle they had discovered in the distance. The light grew brighter and brighter the closer they came until he and his teammates were shielding their eyes from the brightness. After the light diminished a little, they discovered that they were looking at what seemed like a doorway into the thick of the forest. They had found it.

Both boys began to walk towards the rectangle of light. "WAIT! What're you two doing?" Sakura shouted, "That could be trap for all we know! Check first before one of you gets killed!"

Naruto turned to her and grinned sheepishly, "Heh heh, sorry Sakura-chan, I guess I should've been more carefull."

The raven-haired boy said nothing to her but his glare was so cold it could have frozen hell over. Twice.

The pinkette glared back, anger making her green orbs seem to glow in the faint light.

"Um guys…. Aren't we supposed to….. I mean the door…. The blonde's speech drifted off when Sakura flipped her long hair over her shoulder, blushing furiously. Naruto wondered if it was agitation. She pulled a small stone from her pocket and tossed it through the doorway.

Nothing happened.

The rock bounced off a tree in the forest and landed in the grass, unharmed. That seemed to be enough of an answer to Sakura, because she strode forward and walked through the doorway before Naruto could utter a word of warning. Oh crap.

Silence.

"Well? Are you coming?"

The petite girl was standing on a carpet of grass and waving to them in the thicket of trees. Safe. The boy let out a sigh of relief and grinned at the scowling teen beside him.

"She's got a bit more fire than you initially thought huh Bastard? Never would have thought that Mr. Emo would be totally shown up by a _weakling_ …."

The taller boy turned to him, and there it was again. Than unmistakable tinge of red. Vanishing again in a fraction of a second, except this time, Naruto was sure it was real. As if noticing his mistake, the other boy turned away from the grinning youth and walked over to the doorway, stepping through it without a word to either of his teammates. Naruto followed suit, wondering what crazy thing they would encounter next. Even though the dark room was relatively easy. The energetic teen was pretty sure that it wasn't connected to any of the 3 impending trials. The real question was, what now?

* * *

"Naruto, if you complain about the walk one more time I will slap you."

"But Sakuraaaaaaaa, how many hours do we have to wander around like this before something happens?" The hyperactive, knuckleheaded, blonde member of the squad was getting bored, and he felt no shame in expressing exactly how bored he was. The three of them had been wandering around the forest for awhile now with no sign of a difficulty or obstacle.

"The scroll."

Naruto and Sakura turned around and faced their other teammate. He'd been silent as a stone during their entire trek through the foliage.

Sakura looked at him critically, "Are you implying that we open the secret message in the scroll _now_?"

"I think now's the time."

Sakura was about to retort but Naruto intervened, "Mask man did say to open it when we were "deep into the heart of the jungle" or some other trash. I'd say that we're pretty much well into this damn forest."

Sakura nodded her head and the blonde yelled, "Hey! Teme, hand over the scroll!"

"I'm going to read it."

"Let him read it. "

"Huh? Sakura? Why?"

"If we let him read it then maybe he'll tell us his name."

"That's right! The bastard hasn't even introduced himself properly!"

The dark-haired teen glared at them, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha, now shut up and leave me alone."

"Okay Sasucakes! Read the scwoll pweese."

Sasuke ignored him and slowly broke the seal holding the thin papers together. The sheets unravelled and fell onto the grass, revealing the hidden message:

* * *

 _Ti si retaerg naht dog dna erom live naht eht .lived eht roop evah ,ti eht hcir deen ti dna fi uoy tae till'uoy .eid tahw si ?it_

* * *

"…..What the hell's that supposed to mean!"

"Hn."

 ***THWOCK***

Something whooshed through the air. Naruto fell backwards, a slender silver silver needle pinning him to a nearby tree trunk.

"AHHHH! HELP!"

"Wha-"

" Senbon needles! and there's more coming! Naruto get down!"

"I can't! It's pinned my sleeve-" ***RRRIIIIP*** The blonde tore his shirt away from the needle and dove behind the jagged rock where his teammates were already crouching, covering their heads with their hands. Sakura eyes were wide with terror, "Wheres it coming from?" But Naruto wasn't looking at her, he was staring at Sasuke.

Sasuke was squinting into the distance. Black swirling. Crimson eyes aflame. "Something's coming."

"S-sasuke y-your eyes!" Sakura stuttered, staring at the raven-haired boy.

"That's not important right now I-"

"Oh _yeeeeaaaaa_ it's not important at all… you didn't just TURN INTO A FREAKIN DEMON!"

"I said that's not important right now. We really need to get out of here, that _thing_ is getting closer."

Naruto leaped up, grabbing Sakura's arm and running into the trees with Sasuke hot on their heels. He turned to his dark teammate, "What did it look like? What's chasing us?" Sasuke frowned, "I couldn't see very clearly, but there's definitely something alive out there, I could see it's chakra patterns." Sakura gasped, "So... you mean the senbon were coming from _that_ thing?

"Yea".

Naruto cursed, "Just when I thought we were getting somewhere, dammit.

"Just don't stop running until we can't hear it anymore."

* * *

The three teens sprinted until the sounds of the _thing_ died behind them. Naruto collapsed on the ground, panting. "Okay….. I can't run anymore." Sasuke slumped down next to him, sweat dripping off his forehead. Sakura was laying on the grass behind them, chest heaving. A light drizzle had begun to fall, misting over the area.

The pinkette looked up at the dull, gray sky. "We should find shelter This rain's only gonna get worse." The boys nodded in agreement. (Sasuke's was more of a slight turn of the head) They got up and wandered around for a bit until they came across a hollow, cave-like, piece of rock that the three of them could squeeze into.

Sitting inside the little crevice, huddled together with the loud-mouth blonde and the smoking hot bastard wasn't exactly what Sakura would call a _comfortable_ setting. But it wasn't his attractiveness that was bugging her right now. It was his name. Uchiha. Something. A nagging thought in her brain. Uchiha. If she could just put her finger on it…. Sakura closed her viridian eyes and brought her knees up closer to her chest. It sure was cold in this damn forest.

Naruto looked up and glanced at his two teammates. Sakura had her eyes closed and seemed lost in thought, curled up in a tiny ball. Sasuke was staring unblinkingly deep into the trees, red eyes ablaze. The blonde suddenly remembered the secret message.

"Hey guys! We still have to figure out the words in the scroll!"

Sakura sighed, "We might as well try and figure it out 'till the rain subsides."

Sasuke took the roll of paper out of his pocket and placed it in front of them.

* * *

 _Ti si retaerg naht dog dna erom live naht eht .lived eht roop evah ,ti eht hcir deen ti dna fi uoy tae till'uoy .eid tahw si ?it_

* * *

Sakura squinted at the paper, "It isn't in any language i've ever seen, but… if you look closely, you can see that some are actual words." She pointed at the four common words.

* * *

 _Ti si retaerg naht_ ** _dog_ **_dna erom_ ** _live_** _naht eht ._ ** _lived_ **_eht roop evah ,ti eht hcir deen ti_ _ **dna** __fi uoy tae till'uoy .eid tahw si ?it_

* * *

" _Dog, live, lived, dna_ …..do you guys see any correlation?"

"Aa."

"Is that supposed to be an answer?"

"Hn."

"Ookay." (This guy…..)

"Sakura-chan i'm so confused."

Sakura groaned with frustration and leaned closer to the encrypted message, Emerald eyes raked over every word, forehead crinkled in concentration.

Suddenly, her face lit up and she laughed. I get it! It's so devilishly simple! Take a look here.

* * *

 _Ti si retaerg naht dog dna erom live naht eht .lived eht roop evah ,ti eht hcir deen ti dna fi uoy tae till'uoy .eid tahw si ?it_

* * *

 _Dog_ , _live_ , _lived_ , and _dna_ are all common words, however, when you flip them around, they make other common words: _god_ , _evil_ , _devil_ , and " _and_ ". If you try applying this to the other words, everything makes sense! The code is impossibly easy!

* **Heart eyes** * "OMG Sakuwa your so kewl!" xD

"Hn. We don't even know if this works."

"Both of you shut it and let me concentrate. Sasuke, hold down the scroll so I can write properly."The pinkette pulled a pencil from her pocket and unscrambled the first sentence.

* * *

 _ **It is greater than god and more evil than the devil.**_ _eht roop evah ,ti eht hcir deen ti dna fi uoy tae ti ll'uoy .eid tahw si ?it_

* * *

"It is greater than god and more evil than the devil….. "Wow, deep." 0_0

"I refuse to believe it's that simple."

"Ignore the Teme… he's just jealous cause you figured it out before he did…."

" _Shut up_."

Sakura laughed, that tinkling sound, cutting through the heavy downpour outside. "You guys don't even know how funny you are when you bicker like that." She smiled to herself as she decoded the rest of the backwards message. It now read:

* * *

 ** _It is greater than god and more evil than the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it and if you ate it you'll die. What is it?_**

* * *

"But… Nothing can be more evil than the devil! And what do the poor possess that could be so revolutionary?"

"I don't know Naruto, that's what we need to figure out. I hope that onc-"

Sakura never got to finish her sentence because, at that moment, there was a loud crash and someone appeared from behind the thicket of trees.

Something. Not someone.

A grotesque figure. Clawed hands. A scabbed, deformed head. Eyes, cat-like slits in its skull.

Team seven scrambled to their feet. "There's three of them! What do we do?"

* * *

There was only one thing they could do.

They would have to fight.

One on one.

* * *

Chapter three coming Monday or Tuesday! R&R!  
P.S Anyone know the answer to the riddle? No googling!


	3. Sharingan

Looooong Author Input:

So yeeeaaaaaa, actually the "mega super huge" chapter wasn't actually that "huge" at all I know. I try to keep my chapters around 3k words each and that one was 3.2k. lolll xD

Sasuke and Naruto are going to get some butt-kicking in this time! First battle scene yay!

I'm not really moving in any order through the plot of Naruto, however there are subtle hints, like the overall theme of the entrance trials is sort of similar to the second stage of the chunin exams, and then them getting barraged by senbon is reminiscent of Haku's attack in the first arc of _Naruto_.

BTW I'm sorry if some of the threads aren't entirely making sense right now, I've got most of it worked out. If you didn't notice yet, this actually used to be a modern high school fanfic but I changed it due to it not making sense. (That's why Naruto has a flippin cell phone lol, I wanted to keep the Iruka scene xD)

I getting this beta'd ASAP so bear with me.

Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto**

* * *

Chapter 3

Sharingan

Sasuke Uchiha squinted through the pouring rain and cautiously observed the menacing creature crouching in front of him.

They walked on all fours, claws dragging through the ground, leaving deep rivulets in the rain-soaked earth.

The Uchiha noticed that "it" seemed to have been impaled all over its body by those long, silver needles. Senbon, he had heard the girl call them. But if it was injured then why was it moving so fluidly? It was as if they were connected to it's body…..

He grit his teeth and examined the blue streams of chakra racing through its body, trying to see what might enable the beast to throw the needles at will. That is, if he had been the one attacking them from the bushes earlier that day….

"EWWWWWW! What the hell! EWW! That thing is so gross…. I… I think I'm gonna throw up my ramen…."

Sakura raised a pale pink eyebrow, "You eat ramen for _breakfast_?!"

The raven-haired teen glared at the two idiots. Eyebrow twitching in irritation. Yes, this was the perfect time to be talking about the moron's healthy breakfast choices.

The three monsters were still crouched, one in front of each of them, slitted eyes narrowed. Watching. Waiting.

Sasuke bent his knees and brought his fists up in front of his face, sizing up the creature, searching for weak points in the energy flow. He ignored his two teammates, who were whispering excitedly, probably devising some strategy.

The Uchiha smirked, Naruto looked like he might be able to give the beast a run for his money, owing to his muscle and overall strength. But Sakura….. She wouldn't last five minutes with the _thing_ , fragile as she was. It was probably best she and the idiot worked together anyways.

He, on the other hand, would work alone. The sooner he left these two behind the better. He'd come to this place to get stronger, and didn't want hindrances.

Whatever Sakura and Naruto had been planning, they seemed to be finished now. They each stood in front of a beast.

Then Naruto charged. "HIIIYAA!" The blonde drew back his fist and threw a heavy punch at the creature's head, diving to the side as it launched a barrage of tiny needles from its neck, effectively stopping the blow. Naruto wasn't deterred, he leaped to his feet and threw a flurry of punches at the monster's head, distracting it enough so that he could kick at its soft underbelly, the only part not covered in needles….

"AAARRGHHH!" Naruto yelled in pain as three senbon lodged themselves in his thigh. The thing was too quick for him. He jumped back, retreating to pull the needles out of his leg. Blue eyes screwed shut as he yanked the needles out with a grimace. He hoped Sakura was doing alright, but he had no time to take a peek, he had his own problems to deal with.

* * *

Sakura had not yet begun exchanging blows with her creature. Instead, she circled it, her bottle-green eyes calculating, looking for a weak spot, an advantage, anything.

The thing was larger and heavier than she was, which meant she was probably faster. This could be an advantage but, then again, that meant that it also had strength on its side. Not to mention weaponry: Claws, needles, the works. Sakura had no weapon to defend herself and no way to fashion one without the beast noticing and attacking.

The pinkette narrowed her eyes, the needles seemed to stick out from every inch of its body with the exceptions of its face and underbelly. That would seem like a good target, but how to reach it was the question.

The petite girl raised her fists and took a step forward. If this thing could be beaten, she would find out how.

* * *

Sasuke twisted his head around just in time to see the flash of gleaming metal come his way. He back flipped and skidded through the thick mud to take a look at his opponent.

The Uchiha scowled heavily and wiped away the sweat glistening on his forehead. His initial plan was to let the monster try and hit him while exhausting its supply of senbon. It seemed to be working, but the thing was getting more vicious by the minute, Using it's claws to try and slash him as he dodged the needles.

Obsidian eyes swirled into Crimson and narrowed. The chakra was definitely flowing slower than before. He squinted and peered at the head of the thing. It was covered with spiky needles just the other areas but, strangely, chakra flow to that area was constant and heavy. Strange.

He took a step forward, trying to look closer into the system. Then he had an idea.

The boy leaped into the air prepared to let loose a punch, aimed at the thing's head.

The beast let loose a volley of needles and lashed out with a clawed hand. It was too late, Sasuke lunged to the right and raised his arms to block the needles from hitting his head.

The senbon buried themselves in his forearms with a sickening * **thock** *. He grunted in pain and stumbled backward, wrenching them out and…..smirking.

"Well, it seems like, whatever's in your head is pretty valuable….."

* * *

" **Hokage-Sama."**

" _ **What is it Iruka?"**_

" **I heard that you were incorporating… animals in your entrance trials."**

" _ **Summons you mean?"**_

" **Yes well, I they…."**

" _ **You're worried about Naruto, aren't you."**_

" **Hokage-Sama, he's like a son to me."**

" _ **Are you concerned about the weaponry being used against them?"**_

" **Yes."**

" _ **Then you can relax. Senbon needles aren't meant to kill or even injure permanently. They are used to slow down or stun opponents….."**_

* * *

Naruto groaned and slammed himself into the sloshy ground to avoid being impaled by another round of cat and mouse.

He'd given up on trying to land a few hits on that thing. All it did was make his knuckles bloody.

He picked himself up and managed to sneak a glance at the rest of his squad.

Sakura was in air, defensive, leaping and flipping to get out of the way as she tried to find an opening in which she could strike. She was small and fast but, even he could tell, she couldn't keep this up much longer.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was leaning against a tree, arms bleeding, just staring at his beast…..smirking….

"HEY BASTARD! Why are you staring at your monster like you just fell in love?!"

Sasuke turned around and scowled at him, "If you weren't such a dead-last, maybe you would've figured out how to defeat these things before I did!"

Naruto looked astonished, "Wait you know how to get rid of these things?"

The other teen just smirked, "Too bad I'm not telling yo-"

An earsplitting scream rent through the pounding rain.

"Sakura!"

Sakura's monster was moving closer toward her. She was on the ground, emerald eyes glassy. Five senbon needles sticking out of her side.

Sasuke ran as fast as he could towards the beast, Naruto on his heels. It didn't matter if he didn't like them. He wasn't gonna let someone die because he wasn't enjoying being a team.

The raven-haired boy flash-stepped in front of the beast and grabbed at the spikes sticking out of its head.

Then, he wrenched with all his might.

* * *

Red.

His hands were covered in dark red blood. The needle-like things had cut deeply into his palms.

Crimson droplets fell onto the rain soaked grass.

The beast had collapsed and was lying on the ground, motionless. Dead.

On the ground, Sakura let out a little gasp of pain and shakily tried to stand up. Naruto rushed to help her.

"Sakura-chan what happened? You were doing awesome when I looked over a few minutes ago!"

I… well…I was distracted. It won't happen again.

"Okay, I'm glad you're alive, do you need help pulling those ou-"

The pinkette yanked the needles out of her torso with a wince and turned to them. There's still two more…. You guys, they're coming closer.

Sasuke turned to the blonde, "Quick, try to get around it and fake a move, then, grab the spikes on the head and yank them. It'll stab you but make sure you don't stop pulling."

Naruto took off in the direction of his opponent, intent on revenge. He let out a battle cry, lunging at the beast and grabbing its head. A stabbing pain blossomed in his arm, but he ignored it, tearing the at the head-spikes with all his strength. It fell to the ground. Dead.

"Naruto you idiot!" The blonde saw Sakura joggingtowards him, "Your _cry of war_ near enough shattered my eardrums! Did anyone ever tell you that you are as loud as hell?"

Naruto laughed, a sense of calm taking over his body after the heated rush of adrenaline.

Their other teammate leaped down next to them, having already finished off his own creature.

The pinkette glanced at him and fidgeted, looking at the ground. She cleared her throat, "I.. Sasuke-kun ...th-thank you."

The Uchiha's eyes widened at the addition of the suffix but he nodded, a smirk forming on his face. "Hn. Someone had to save your life."

Sakura seemed to regain her composure because she glared at him. Viridian eyes sharp and menacing.

Naruto chuckled, "So, how did a Teme like you figure out how to kill the damn thing?"

"Sharingan."

Sasuke looked at Sakura, who was smirking up at him. "How the hell do you know that?"

The girl smiled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Your name. It made me remember something I had read awhile ago. A unique bloodline trait or, Kekkei Genkai, as it is called, gets passed on from generation to generation in the shinobi clans. And then your last name, Uchiha, made me think of a special Kekkei Genkai I had done more research on. The Sharingan, distinctive by the bright red eyes and black tomoes, unique to only the Uchiha Clan." She smiled, "I'm just curious as to how you still have it since ninja from the Uchiha clan died out a long time ago…"

Sasuke frowned and turned away, "Yes, that was how I was able to see the energy flowing through the beast's head, it was thick and spreading to other areas of its body. I assumed it was important, so I ran at the thing and tried to attack its head. It protected that part violently, and I noticed that it could throw senbon from all areas of its body with the _exception_ of that one body part."

Sakura's eyes widened and she clasped her hand together, "So, those things must've been connected to its nerve-endings! Deceptive, but vulnerable if figured out. Great job Sasuke-Kun!"

Sasuke scowled at the added suffix, but Naruto piped up, "Hey Sakura-chan! Ignore the bastard, you can call me Naruto-Kun whenever you want!"

"Naruto you're a baka."

"But Sakuraaaa…."

"We need to get to a cave or something, I'm freezing and bloody."

"Yea me too! Build us a shelter teme!"

"Hold your breath."

"Awww c'mon…"

* * *

Eventually, squad seven ended up going back to the rock structure that they had found earlier that day.

Sakura had wandered into the woods, looking for something for them to eat, leaving Naruto and Sasuke to set up camp.

It wasn't going well.

"Hey, Bastard! Hurry up and make a fire already! I'm cold as hell! Believe it!"

" _Shut up."_

"Well, you've been working for the past thirty minutes! How useless can you get?"

"Maybe you should try making a fire with wet wood, dobe."

Naruto grumbled as he flattened out he'd bed of damp leaves. The dried blood on his leg was itchy and he really wanted to wash it off.

"Hey, Teme, is there a stream nearby?"

Sasuke didn't answer, he was too busy trying to strip the wet bark away from the dry wood with a senbon needle.

"Uggh, when's Sakura coming back? Not only is she nicer than you, she's talkative, aaaand she's got curves in the right places... If you know what I mean…."

The raven-haired teen snorted, "Pervert."

"Least I ain't gay…"

At that moment, Sakura appeared from behind the trees carrying a dead rabbit over her shoulder and a handful of limp green plants.

"Hey guys! How'd you do while I was gone?"

"Well, Teme here was relaxing, but I made the leaf beds, just like you asked me!"

Sasuke snorted, sticking his needle through a piece of bark.

Sakura giggled and put down her load.

"Hey Sakura-chan, how'd you kill a rabbit?"

The pinkette bit her lip, "Well, I kind of impaled it's leg with the needle so it couldn't run, then I finished it off, I didn't want to kill it but, you know…. It had to be done."

"That's alright! What are you gonna make with it?"

"A stew seems preferable since I've got meat, greens, and water from the stream…."

The blonde jumped up and pumped his fist in the air, "A stream! Yes! I'm gonna go and have a bath, believe it! C'mon Teme, you know you need a wash, I can smell you from here…"

"Whatever."

The youth grinned at Sakura, "You know, you're welcome to come bathe with us….."

Sakura death-glared him.

Sasuke smirked, getting up from his spot and passing his dry wood to the girl. Then he stalked off in the direction of the forest.

"Hey bastard, wait up!"

Sakura grimaced and began to skin the rabbit as best she could, wiping the blood from her hands, she'd never been one who liked killing.

* * *

By the time the guys got back from the creek, Sakura had finished building a fire and was trying to cook the stew by placing the liquid in a hollow piece of wood. It wasn't working.

She looked up from her struggles to see Naruto and Sasuke walking through the wet grass towards her. Shirtless.

She gaped then reddened, "Hey! W-what, guys! Get some damn clothes on!"

Naruto chuckled, "What's wrong? You like what you see?"

Sakura turned to him, bottle-green eyes murderous, "You'll freeze to death, idiot, and try having some respect in front of a lady!" She huffed and slumped back down, poking their dinner with a stick.

Sasuke sat down in front of the fire, shirt on. He looked at the rabbit, "Is that even edible?"

The blonde winced, ready for an explosion of Sakura's wrath.

But the rosette was smiling sweetly at the boy, "Okay, Sasuke-Kuuun, let's see how you cook it!" She tossed the stick to him and left in the direction of the stream.

Sasuke was startled for a fraction of a second, then he scowled, tossing the stick aside, "Handle it dobe."

Naruto picked up the half-cooked rabbit and dangled it in front of his face. _Utterly_ confused.

Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed, knowing that the chances of dinner being edible had just died out completely.

* * *

Sakura got back in time to eat Naruto's burned rabbit supper, the teens were so hungry they barely cared what it tasted like. They lay down on their leaves and fell asleep almost instantly, worn out from the day's events.

Naruto had tried to stay awake, struggling to figure out the meaning of the trials. He assumed that what they had gone through with the monsters was their physical trial, which left the confusing riddle and the mysterious fear trials to be determined. The blonde yawned before sleep stole his consciousness and he drifted off into dreamland.

* * *

" _ **You shouldn't be worried about the physical aspect so much Iruka."**_

" **Why? Is there a more dangerous trial I should be concerned about?"**

" _ **You could say that."**_

" **You mean the fear test? Why? What does it do?"**

" _ **It's a unique illusion Jutsu, altered to each individual's separate fears. It tests a person's strength of will. They will face their worst fears. Those who break will not be able to pass. Shinobi must be practical and calculating. Fear is a weakness."**_

" **But! Hokage-Sama! You know Naruto, his past, it was cruel! Why would you subject him to such a thing!"**

" _ **Exactly that. The sooner he faces his fears, the better a ninja he can become."**_

" **But-"**

" _ **Iruka, do you know who I chose to be on the same team as Naruto?"**_

" **Who?"**

" _ **Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Our two most promising future students. Both with dark pasts of their own…."**_

* * *

Cerulean eyes snapped open, staring at the blue sky, sun streaming down through the trees, illuminating the greenery, making it seem golden.

He craned his neck to look at his teammates.

Sakura was running her fingers through her rosy locks, apparently trying to get rid of the knots and tangles.

Sasuke was laying on the ground, staring blankly at the sky overhead.

Sakura walked over to him and handed him a cup of water, he took it without a word. Then she walked over to the blonde and handed him a cup, before sitting down next to him and whispering, "We decided to set out early and get the next trial over." She glanced over at their dark teammate before continuing, "Sasuke's not too excited about the whole fear thing, says he's got a bad feeling about what we're gonna see."

Naruto nodded and took a sip of his water, he hadn't wanted to set out so fast. He didn't want to face this. He didn't know what he'ddo. Nevertheless, he looked at Sakura and grinned, "Tell me when we set out!"

* * *

Team seven walked through the woods in silence. They had packed up camp and put the rest of the rabbit in Naruto's backpack. No one spoke. They didn't want to.

* * *

Sakura walked along numbly behind the boys. She fought to keep the tears from spilling out of her eyes. She was scared. She didn't want to remember. She had promised she would forget. She could only pray that this test wouldn't break her spirit. It had taken years to build it back up since the last time.

* * *

Sasuke stalked forward, insides churning, thoughts dark. He would do anything to gain power. Even this. He had a very bad feeling that if he proceeded to walk into this fear trial he would crack. He had already relived it once. Blood. The bodies. Screaming. He couldn't go through that again, it had taken years to stop waking up with the nightmares. It didn't matter, he had to do it. He was an avenger. Revenge was his only goal.

* * *

Naruto kicked a stone lying in the pathway they were taking through foliage. He wouldn't lie, he was absolutely terrified about what lay ahead. He could only hope the test didn't know just how deep his fear was. He hoped they didn't find the monster. The demon. The curse.

* * *

They kept walking until they reached the edge of a wide clearing.

There was a loud crack. The teens whipped around.

Colored smoke filled the air.

Naruto tried to move but his whole body had frozen. Paralyzed. His mind screamed at him to run, far far away…

" **Congratulations, you've made it to the Fear Trials. Let's begin, shall we?"**

Then everything vanished.

* * *

 **Special thanks:** to _Thabane Tha Creator_ for commenting on both chapters! Awesome job instantly decoding the riddle! The answer is coming soon!

Yay, cliffhanger!

So, yes. Sakura does have a dark past in this story as well, all will be explained in chapters 4 and 5 :)

I take weekends off, this means that I skip it when writing new chapters.

There will continue to be two updates per week if you guys review!

Constructive criticism is welcomed.

Till next time!

\- Silla


	4. Flashbacks

Author Input:

YES I KNOW, I'm updating a whopping 2 weeks late I'm really really really sorry :(

This chapter is so plot heavy I had to rewrite it again and again and THEN I had writer's block and THEN I was really behind on schoolwork and THEN the family holidays came 'round and well…..you know how it is.

Oh, yea I thought I should warn you, this chapter is a definitely rated T because of Violence and its kinda dark.. If you can't stomach mentions of blood, mildly graphic portrayal of death or if you have a phobia of water/drowning then I don't recommend reading this chapter.

Just being cautious, this isn't horror lol xD

Well, enough of all that, here's chapter 4 for you!

Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto**

* * *

Chapter 4

Flashbacks

Naruto didn't know where he was.

It wasn't necessarily dark. But there was a distinctive feeling of blindness that he couldn't seem to shake.

* **drip** *

Naruto looked around him. He seemed to be inside of what looked like a basement* of some sort. Pipes ran along the ceiling and the floor, which was flooded with water up to his ankles. Two red pinpricks pierced through the darkness.

They blinked.

The boy stared. The eyes stared back. Naruto walked towards the two dots.

They blinked.

* **drip** *

"Who are you?!"

The blonde heard laughter. " **Who am I?"** The person chuckled, " **Why I'm you of course."**

"How is that even possible?! Show yourself and stop hiding!"

" **Very well."**

A figure stepped out of the shadowy, golden light. Blonde spiky hair, Blue eyes, whisker markings on his cheeks. There was no mistaking it.

It _was_ him.

Well, besides the red pupils and black where the white parts should've been.

" **Don't you see? I'm the real you. The one who lives deep down inside. I know** _ **everything**_ **about you Naruto."**

"W-what?"

" **Don't pretend you don't understand. I can't wait to lose control… It's been awhile since I was able to walk around free to do** _ **whatever**_ **I want."**

"Wait, if you're me, then what _do_ you want?"

" _ **Revenge,**_ **Naruto. Don't you want revenge?"**

"Revenge on who?"

The red-eyed Naruto scowled at him, eyes narrowing, " **People, idiot. Everyone who wronged us. Don't you ache for it?"**

"No! That's not what I wan-"

" **Oh? You aren't angry at them for everything they've done?**

"What the heck are you trying to say?!"

 **I see. Well, let me show you something they should've told you a long time ago."**

* * *

"He has your eyes, Kushina… "

"But they're blue, like yours…"

A tiny infant with a tuft of blonde hair was staring up at his parents, a tiny hand clutching the powder-blue blanket he was swaddled in.

His mother, a slender woman with bright red hair, scooped him up, her violet eyes gazing tenderly at his tiny face. "He's beautiful…"

Baby Naruto stared curiously at his parents. He raised a chubby hand, trying to touch their faces.

His mother laughed.

For a second, everything was perfect.

Suddenly screams sounded from outside the Uzumaki residence. Baby Naruto began to wail. Sounds of destruction exploded from outside.

"Minato, what's happening?"

Naruto's father leaped up and made for the door, snatching his Hokage cloak from a hook by the window. He frowned looking at his wife and crying son, "It must be some kind of attack. I'm sense an unusually strong chakra."

"But… I thought… They said the fighting was over!"

"I guess we were wrong."

"What do we do? Please, Minato!" Kushina eyes filled with tears, "We have Naruto now, and what if you-." She was unable to finish her sentence.

Minato Namikaze walked over to his wife and son. He wrapped his arms around both of them. Naruto's wails were reduced to faint whimpers. Kushina's shoulders shook.

He stroked his wife's hair and sighed, "Sweetheart, I'm the fourth Hokage. The village needs me. You need to take Naruto and get out of here, It's up to me and the few ninja we have left to make sure this village survives."

Kushina smiled at him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I understand, love, it's just, if you were gone… I don't know what I would do."

Minato squeezed her hand, "Don't worry about me, evacuate with the other villagers, you're still weak from the labor. Take Naruto and stay safe, we'll be together again before you know it." He embraced his wife and kissed Naruto on the forehead. He walked away from them put his hand on the doorknob.

"I love you Minato."

He gave one last look at the two of them, eyes filled with pain. "I love you both."

The door clicked shut.

* * *

It was a demon spirit.

Streams of orange chakra flowed around it, demolishing buildings on contact.

Minato ran as fast as he could towards the destruction. A flash of silver by his side indicated that he was accompanied by his star student, the prodigy, Kakashi Hatake.

Kakashi turned to him, "Sensei, what do you suppose is the reason for this attack? Didn't the ancient shinobi wars stop a long time ago?"

Minato frowned, his eyes on the confusion ahead of him. "I don't know, but if it _is_ the work of enemy shinobi, the ninja behind it is exceptional, to say the least."

The masked ninja didn't pursue the subject.

They arrived at the scene.

Minato sprang into action, fluidly performing hand signs.

"Sensing Hexagram Seal!"

The Jutsu radiated from his palm in a series of green rings. The Yondaime smiled and turned to Kakashi.

"It seems like our enemy didn't suspect that we would've uncovered his secret. You see, demon spirits don't normally attack humans. They can't be released from the realm unless there is human intervention. With this in mind, I immediately suspected that someone had control of the beast and was provoking it to attack. I seem to have been right, because I have sensed the enemy's chakra just outside of the village. They didn't even bother covering their tracks"

Kakashi nodded, marveling at his teacher's quick thinking as he and Minato took off in the direction of the hidden enemy.

* * *

There was a whole group of them.

Black cloaks. Red clouds.

暁 Akatsuki.

* * *

"Minato! What is it? What's happening out there?"

Kushina was astonished to see her husband teleport in the middle of the evacuation area hidden within the hokage rock, wounded and breathing heavily.

Minato looked at her, "A spirit attack, there's no time, we need to seal the demon inside Naruto."

"What!? Why?"

"There's a group just outside the village, they forced the spirit to come here. Kakashi and I were able to break the connection but now…" He held his head in his hands, "The demon is running free. If we don't do something, the whole village will be destroyed."

""But why Naruto? And that Jutsu! It'll…."

"The spirit will destroy everything in it's path unless its sealed in the body of an infant born the day of sealing. Besides", he smiled faintly, "This chakra, this power, if he learns to control it, it will be an asset for him later in life."

Kushina closed tear-filled eyes, she knew what had to be done. They didn't have a choice.

* * *

The two of them went to work immediately, both determined to do what they could to help the village. Kushina, exhausted as she was, tied her leaf headband around her forehead with a determined tug and stood guard at the door of the house as Minato summoned the Shinigami, perspiration dripping off his forehead as he concentrated.

Performing the Jutsu that would suck the life out of him.

Suddenly, the stone walls shattered, debris flying everywhere. Kushina activated her Adamantine Sealing Technique and jumped in front of her husband, shielding him.

"Damn it! It knows what we're trying to do!"

Long golden chains wrapped around the demons horrific form as Kushina struggled to keep the monster at bay. She yanked on them, securing the beast in place. The thing let out a scream that sounded like scraping metal shards.

Arms trembling, she shouted over her shoulder, "I can't hold him for much longer!"

"I'm done!" Minato finished the technique and faced the newcomer. Rising into the air behind him was the Shinigami, a gaunt, translucent spirit, ten times larger than a man. Utterly terrifying with purplish skin and red horns, its razor-sharp teeth were clamped around a long sword-like blade. It reached a hand through Minato's chest and towards the beast.

In one final attempt to stop its imminent fate, the demon broke free of the gleaming chains and rushed towards the infant lying in the cradle, arm swinging in for the kill.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Both Minato and Kushina rushed forward and put their bodies between the demon and the child, arms outstretched.

Skewering themselves on the blow meant to kill him.

Minato coughed up blood and raised his hands shakily.

"Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"

The spirit screamed, but it was too late. Shinigami's clawed hand reached out and the demon was sucked into the baby's small body, black seal markings appearing on his stomach.

Kushina limped to her newborn child's cradle. She stroked his cheek, tears running down her face. She knew only too well what lay in store for her son. Isolation, loneliness, and hardship. She hugged Naruto to her chest and sobbed. She was slipping away and her husband was surely dead or dying.

Minato slumped down on the other side of his son, facing his wife. The deadly jutsu was taking its toll, he'd be dead in minutes. He looked at Kushina. They clasped hands and gazed at the child in between them.

"We love you Naruto. We'll always love you."

" I just wish… we could've had more time together….."

* * *

When the hokage found them, Kushina and Minato were cold and lifeless, arms wrapped around their son as if in an eternal embrace. Baby Naruto stared up at Hiruzen with innocent blue eyes, one small hand clasping a piece of paper.

"His Name is Naruto Uzumaki. The Demon Spirit is sealed within him. We bequeath everything."

* * *

Naruto stared blankly into space, barely aware of the tears streaming down his cheeks.

His _mom_ , his _dad,_ his _life_. No one had ever told him this. He had asked who they were, but everyone had just shrugged him off, saying they had died in an accident a few years back.

His father, the _hokage_? The Yellow Flash of the Leaf. He had heard stories about what a legendary shinobi he was, but never in a million years would he imagine that that man was his _father_! And his mother was a kunoichi, a ninja as well. Both of them were absolutely amazing people, and no one ever told him.

He felt empty. It was too much, so much he didn't understand. Who were those men in cloaks? Why had they attacked the village? Were they still alive? Did the whole village know?

He turned around and glared at his red-eyed double. "It all your fault! If you hadn't come to our village, my parents would still be alive! I would have a family, a home, everything!"

Naruto was so angry he didn't even know what he was doing, all he could see was the blood seeping from his mother's mouth and his father's ragged breathing.

He ran at the other Naruto, swinging his fists. The demon just turned his head to the side, easily avoiding his punch. Naruto swung blindly, wanting nothing more than to enact revenge for what he'd done, what they'd done. Everyone had lied to him.

" **That's pitiful, you really don't understand, do you?"**

The blonde ignored him and kept fruitlessly trying to land a hit on his opponent.

" **You idiot!** _ **You**_ **are the demon.** _ **You**_ **killed hundreds of innocent people.** _ **You**_ **are hated by everyone."**

Naruto froze, comprehending what he had just heard. He shook his head violently and put his head in his hands, "No… I-I didn't…"

" **Then who am I? I'm you Naruto, and I'm also the demon. We are one. No matter how you try to explain it away, the fact is that…. You are the monster that** **killed your parents…."**

Naruto fell to his knees, shoulders shaking.

The golden water began to rise around him, faster and faster, he couldn't swim and his limbs felt like lead. The rushing water began swallowing him up. He couldn't escape. Water filled his lungs, choking out his life. He screamed but his demon-double only laughed. He was drowning and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

* * *

Unlike Naruto, Sasuke knew only too well where _he_ was.

The Uchiha crest, a red and white fan, was plastered everywhere. He was standing in front of a large wooden building adorned with the crest atop a four pointed star.

 _The Police Station._

His vision pulled him in the direction of the streets. His younger self was standing there, frozen in horror, school bag still slung over his shoulder. Blood stained the cobblestone in varying shades of crimson. Bodies were scattered everywhere, kunai knives sticking out of some of them. Blood had splashed all over the proud Uchiha symbols along the walls. Turning them a nasty shade of dusty red.

Sasuke's stomach felt sour, how very symbolic.

It had been eight years since the last time he'd had to re-live this. It was the night he lost everything. The Uchiha Clan Massacre.

He heard screams and his younger self ran towards it. It was his house. Little Sasuke put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door, screaming at the sight of his parent's mangled bodies. Both of them were dead, icy, lifeless.

Standing above the fallen was a young man in an ANBU assassins uniform, his red eyes glowing like hot coals in the shadowy darkness.

"Well well, if it isn't my foolish little brother."

Sasuke ground his teeth, Itachi, his older brother, was just as arrogant as before.

Younger Sasuke fell to his knees with hiccuping sobs, "Why?" He choked, "I-tachi… why d-did you do this?"

"To test the limits of my abilities."

"You're telling me that's the reason you butchered every single member of our clan?"

"It was of utmost importance."

Sasuke wanted to tear man standing in front of him to shreds. White-hot anger coursing through his veins. Utmost importance his _ass._ He did it because he was a psychotic murderer who didn't deserve to live. Oh, how he yearned to kill him.

He watched as the younger Sasuke, utterly traumatized, tried to cut Itachi with his kunai knife. Itachi dodged easily and punched him in the stomach, _hard_. He choked eight-year old Sasuke and held him against the wall.

"Mangekyo Sharingan!"

* * *

Everything around them had changed color. The sky was blood-red. Black clouds floated above.

The Uchiha panicked, this was the Tsukuyomi. These images from it haunted him even now. He looked around wildly, trying to escape.

Itachi used his Sharingan to replay the events of that night. Sasuke was unable to look away as he saw his mother pierced through the chest with his brother's traitorous blade. Her face going slack, body slumping to the ground in a pool of scarlet. The same mother who had packed him a Bento that morning, kissing his forehead and ruffling his hair when he left for school.

He felt cold wetness on his cheeks and realized he was crying. His heart ached and his stomach seemed to be tied in a million knots. His _family._ His _home._

He watched Itachi go from house to house, slaughtering entire families without a second's hesitation. He saw the hardened, icy look in his eye and knew that he was truly gone. Seeing this for a second time proved that he was no longer the caring older brother Sasuke had once envisioned him to be.

The jutsu broke and younger Sasuke crumpled to the ground. Itachi walked out of the Uchiha residence and into the streets. Younger Sasuke stumbled after him and fell to the ground again.

"W-why….. why didn't you kill me…"

Itachi turned to face him, "You aren't even worth killing… My foolish little brother… if you want to kill me someday, in hate, and revenge… Run… Cling to life. And then, someday, when you possess the same eyes as mine, come fight me…"

Then he vanished.

Sasuke wandered around the Uchiha compound, staring at the scenario that had become his worst nightmare. He stumbled blindly into his old house and knelt down next to his parent's bodies, the scent of their blood poisoning the air.

Tears streamed out of his eyes and dripped off his face. He didn't bother wiping them away.

* * *

Sakura blinked and looked about her, Naruto and Sasuke had disappeared and she was standing by herself in what she supposed was the forest of death.

But it wasn't, the greenery was different. The sun more visible, the atmosphere brighter.

She heard music in the distance. It was a clear, sweet, tune that reminded her of tinkling bells and flowing water. The kind of melody that reminds you of the birds chirping at dawn, welcoming the new day.

She followed the hypnotizing music until she came across a cliff that dropped into the ocean. Sitting on a jagged rock was a small girl, looking out across the horizon and playing on a silver flute.

Sakura felt a lump form in her throat, it had been forever since she played on that flute.

She turned around and tried to collect her thoughts. She now knew that she was on Ongaku Island, her old home. It was an island connected to the mainland** by bridge and had a fairly small population, mostly civilians who wanted to enjoy the quiet scenery.

Sakura stared at the girl on the rock. It was definitely her, with that complicated braid that her mom used to make for her, not to mention the long crimson dress with the Haruno clan symbol on the back. She couldn't be more than eleven years old. Which meant…..

Sakura tore through the forest, she wanted to get as far away from this place as she could. She didn't stop sprinting until she was out of breath, but, strangely, even though she was running away from her younger self, the vision made her end up exactly where she had started. She couldn't escape it, she had to watch this happen to her all over again.

A teen boy with sandy brown hair and blue-green eyes walked towards the eleven-year old Sakura, tapping her on the shoulder. She stopped playing her flute and smiled brightly at him.

"Hey Akiro-Kun! I'm making up a new song! It needs a bit of tuning but I'm nearly there! Do you think Mama and Papa will be happy if I give this as a gift for their anniversary?"

The boy smiled nervously and nodded, obviously distracted by something.

"Oh yes Saku-chan, that would be nice, but, we need to go to the Konoha for a quick visit. Your parents… They had an urgent meeting that they had to attend."

Sakura's face fell, "But Mama doesn't work! And Papa's job is in the weapons shop, why would they need to go to meetings?"

Akiro stuttered, "W-well, I don't exactly know, but don't worry. We'll have tons of fun while they're busy! We just need to go to the shop to get a few things and then we'll be on our way."

He took her hand and began to walk in the direction of the main square.

* * *

The scenery had changed, Sakura was standing in her father's weapons shop. Kunai knives of various designs were hung up on the wall, some engraved with special signs. Shuriken, razor-sharp and plentiful, were hung on nails in about fifty different places. There were smoke bombs, senbon, brass knuckles, paper bombs, and basically every weapon a Shinobi could ever need. Sakura could remember how she used to watch her father's customers come in and bargain, taking with them loads of dangerous weaponry. She used to wonder how anyone could be able to kill another human being when she would cry if she accidentally stepped on a ladybug.

She heard someone shift in a corner of the room. Her younger self was sitting on a stool, nervously tugging on her hair as she waited for Akiro to get the "few things" he needed.

She heard urgent whispering and it seemed like someone was arguing. Little Sakura couldn't conatin her bubbling curiosity. She tip-toed and put her ear to the wooden slats.

"No father, we can't let her stay, you know they're gonna be after her next."

"But what if they aren't looking for their Haruno speciality? What if they were just called in on an urgent mission?"

"It doesn't matter, we really can't risk it. You know what she's like, innocent, imaginative, and naive. Something like this could scar her."

"I agree, but don't be hasty Akiro, you might just be acting overprotective. Take her to the mainland for now and inform the hokage that numbers 493 and 494 have vanished. I'll stay here and keep tracking the chakra signals."

"Thank you father, I will complete my mission with excellence."

"Be on your way now, the enemy forces are still in range."

Younger Sakura leaped away from the door and hurriedly sat on her stool just as Akiro came out, a fake grin plastered on his face.

"And were off! Why the long face Cherry?"

Young Sakura was silent, her mind still trying to make sense of what she had heard. Akiro brushed it off and took her hand, leading her outside the shop.

"Hey, Akiro-Kun?"

"What is it Saku-chan?"

"Why were you arguing with Kabuuyo-San?"

"Oh that. We were just talking about some security concerns, you don't have to worry about it."

Sakura knew he was lying but again, she said nothing. She was thinking hard on what Akiro's father meant by "Haruno Speciality".

* * *

What had happened after that was a blur to Sakura, she could remember being tugged along different streets by Akiro. Sometimes backtracking and taking side paths in order to avoid detection.

He had abandoned trying to convince her that they were going on a trip, it was obvious now that they were trying to escape something.

So when the men with black face masks showed up it wasn't a huge surprise.

"Sakura! Run! Run as fast as you can. Get away from here!"

Akiro placed stood in between Sakura and the men. Sakura was scared out of her mind. She scrambled backwards, running as fast as she could to the one place she knew she would always be safe.

Home.

* * *

She must have been running for miles by the time she could begin to see smoke rising from her father's chimney pipes. He always had a fire in the grate at this time of day.

Sakura felt giddy with joy, her mother and father would take care of everything, they always did.

She ran up the steps to her front door and was about to open it when a man with a black mask jumped out from behind the trees.

He snickered, amused by her terrified expression.

"How's it going pretty? Looking for your parents?"

He laughed, as if he was in on some secret joke that only he knew.

"Well you're coming with me, we have some questions for you."

Sakura backed away from him, shaking her head, trying to look for an opening so she could make a break for it.

And walked right into someone standing behind her.

Before she could do anything, a cloth was pressed roughly over her face and she blacked out.

* * *

 **Special thanks to:**

 _ **Thabane Tha Creator**_ _:_ Thanks for the constructive criticism on chap. 3! I appreciate it!

 _ **Laloobug**_ : It's a summoning animal, sort of a cross between spiny lizard thing that isn't a lizard and a clawed mammal…. Lol, don't ask who summoned it. I have no idea, I thought of it randomly on Friday morning. Thanks for reviewing!

 _ **Reading Pixie**_ **:** Thanks! Reviews make me smile. I seriously appreciate you clicking that review button and saying a word or two. You're one in a million. :)

* * *

Ta Da! Clap your hands if you luv MinatoxKushina! 3 3

 ***** This is the same "basement" that Naruto talks to the Nine-Tails in. In the Anime, they call it his Subconscious.

 ****** The mainland they keep talking about is Konohagakure. I don't care if its connected to the ocean or not, it does in this story!

If I made Kushina a little bit toooo emotional in some parts, you must remember she just gave birth, women are very emotional at such times.

And yes Sasuke is a bit OOC in his little section. Then again, even in the manga, he would freak out and lose his cool when anyone said anything about:

(a) Itachi

(b) His Clan

(c) Their Murders

So yea….

I will now be updating every Thursday _or_ Friday instead of twice a week.

Until next time!

-Silla


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